Ithaca College

Have you ever wondered what Mindful Eating was? Have you even heard of Mindful Eating? Being mindful is a state of being aware. It is a process of observation and attention in the flow of changing stimuli and perceptions. Mindfulness is ‘in the moment’, present, engaged awareness. An important characteristic of a mindful state is that it is free of judgment. Also, mindfulness is not a passive state; we apply intention when we are mindful.

Mindful eating is allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom. Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor and taste. Acknowledging responses to food (likes, neutral or dislikes) without judgment. Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.

Someone who eats mindfully acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat but varying degrees of awareness surrounding the experience of food. They accept that his/her eating experiences are unique. Eating mindfully is an individual choice; you direct your awareness to all aspects of food and eating on a moment-by-moment basis. This person is an individual who looks at the immediate choices and direct experiences associated with food and eating: not to the distant health outcome of that choice. When you eat mindfully, you experience insight about how you can act to achieve specific health goals as you become more attuned to the direct experience of eating and feelings of health. You become aware of the interconnection of earth, living beings, and cultural practices and the impact of your food choices on those systems.

This information was provided by The Center for Mindful Eating. For more information, please visit www.tcme.org

Don’t forget to sign up for the Lunch and Learn on Thursday, January 20th from noon-1pm at Clark Lounge! E-mail hrstudent@ithaca.edu to reserve your spot today!

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Alison Bowman in Human Resources at abowman@ithaca.edu or x4-8000. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.

Work/Life: We believe in the integration of work and life outside of work.

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